Drug Courts

On July 24, 2024, Center staff held a final advisory council meeting before the rollout began. In attendance were various criminal justice practitioners from the field. In this meeting, the council members were updated on the data collection from beta testing. Center staff also discussed the JS-BIT rollout plan and provided an overview of the next steps which include data collection and reports and training curriculum development.

In the previous reporting period, Center staff began assisting Oregon in planning a veterans’ treatment court summit, including identifying speakers and planning the agenda. In this reporting period, Center staff Sheila McCarthy and Spencer Geiger traveled to Oregon to present at the summit which took place on September 23 and 24 in Salem, Oregon. The presentation was titled “Justice Involved Veterans and Intimate Partner Violence”.

On September 16, 2024, Center staff Karen Otis alongside Matthew Collinson, a Project Director and Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, and Rachel Myer, Data and Research Program Manager at CACJ, presented at the annual CACJ training conference. The presentation, titled, “An Equity & Inclusion State of Mind: Georgia’s Statewide Approach to Addressing Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Treatment Courts” identified and discussed innovative strategies to address RED in treatment court operations in Georgia.

This reporting period, on September 18, Center staff Sheila McCarthy in collaboration with Center’s Tribal Justice Exchange team presented at the Tribal Law and Policy Institute’s (TLPI) annual Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Implementation and Enhancement Training in Phoenix, Arizona. The presentation titled “Veterans Treatment Courts: National Trends, Promising Practices, and Considerations for Tribal Adaptations” highlighted lessons learned from the field that are unique to the veteran population and the solutions developed in response.

Two day virtual training as part pf Adult Drug Court Incentives, Sanction, and Service Adjustments.

Two-day virtual training, utilizing a virtual platform set in a specific timezone, designed to expand knowledge, incorporate other tracks, enhance skills, and improve outcomes for courts featuring the full spectrum of justice-involved individuals in their jurisdiction.

A review of all existing program documents will transpire to include VTC procedure manuals, participant handbook, mentor manual, BeST Assessment (as applicable), Hopes and Concerns assessment tool, and relevant past/present grant information. A discussion of all documentation with the designated Justice for Vets (JFV) staff member (JFV Leader) in advance of formal involvement with the VTC team members will occur.